Students Protest Privatization Of UK Dining Services

Students opposed to plans to privatize UK dining services led a small protest Wednesday before meeting with UK president Eli Capilouto.

"What do we want? Public dining! When do we want it? Now!" The chant rang through the UK Student Center Wednesday afternoon as a group of about ten students marched with signs in support of university ownership of dining services.

Protester Rohith Jayaram said, if the university outsources, it will forgo any profits from the services, "and potentially bring on a new company to partner with the school that [has] in other instances been guilty of being less than friendly with workers they employ."

UK officials have said the requirements laid out in the university's RFP, or Request for Proposals, give the school plenty of say in how any potential vendor must operate should UK decide to privatize.